Blue Fish News – April 12, 2020

Blue Fish News Includes:
Links to a recent Blue Fish Radio podcast on West coast salmon fishing and background Covid-19 documentation, an on-line Blue Fish Steward quiz that’s guaranteed to test your knowledge of emerging sustainable recreational fishing developments, and a Blue Fish Radio episode that explores why Pacific salmon are entering the Arctic Ocean in record numbers.

Covid-19 Responses:
Instead of offering up-dates on Covid-19 fisheries related closures and advisories, we will instead bring you first-hand perspectives of what’s being tried across Canada. With so many diverse regions and fisheries no one boot fits all, which is why solutions can range widely. Please keep in mind two things, one, this is all new territory for everyone involved so there’s no guarantees that the strategies being proposed will work, and two, what’s being tried  today as the pandemic continues to spread will likely differ once we get through the worst of it and begin the next phase of containing flair-ups. The goal in all this will be to draw on science to formulate strategies for safely participating in recreational fisheries, and to share best practices to mitigate the health impacts on as many anglers and their communities as quickly as possible.

Blue Fish Radio on West Coast Salmon Fishing and Covid-19:
As Canadians everywhere take shelter and avoid as much as possible contact with others, there are regions in Canada where recreational fishing continues in ways that have been determined to be both beneficial and relatively safe. It’s what many of us dream of but aren’t now doing because of the advice of experts familiar with our own unique: regional fisheries, demographics, fishing infrastructure, medical capacity, styles of fishing, etc. At the same time, as we do all we can to: stay safe, prevent the spread of the virus, look after our families and communities, and find ways to continue to contribute meaningfully to society, we can’t help but wonder when and how life will return to some sort of new normal. Until there’s a vaccine or sufficient herd immunity, how we went about fishing last year likely isn’t going to work. We will need to re-learn how to go about fishing, not the actual fishing techniques, but all the related pre and post fishing trip activities.

Link here for a perspective shared by a B.C. recreational salmon and steelhead angler recorded for Blue Fish Radio April 9th.
Link here for a list of recreational fishing Covid-19 precautions issued by the B.C. government.

Blue Fish Steward Quiz:
Tests are fun right, well, not really, but knowing this Blue Fish advisors have been careful in their development of our Blue Fish Steward quizzes. We began focus testing the quizzes at outdoor shows for their likability in February 2020.

Link here to a Blue Fish Steward quiz that focusses on emerging sustainable recreational fishing techniques and equipment – good luck!

Blue Fish Radio on Pacific Salmon in the Arctic:
Salmon traditionally found in the Pacific ocean, such as Sockeye, Pink and Chum, (less-so Coho and Chinook), are now entering the Arctic Ocean in greater numbers than ever before. It’s got to the point that Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans is now working with Arctic coastal communities to collect both research samples, and locally inspired recipes to be featured in a cookbook being distributed to Arctic residents.

Link here to listen to DFO researcher Dr. Karen Dunmall in conversation with Lawrence Gunther about their findings and hypotheses on why salmon are heading north on this episode of Blue Fish Radio.
Link here for more about the Arctic Salmon research project and the cookbook.

Coming Up:
More Blue Fish Radio interviews with regional fishing experts on what’s happening in their region of Canada, more science-based best practices on what anglers in these different regions are doing to avoid Covid-19, A Blue Fish Radio podcast that while interesting, has nothing to do with the pandemic, and another quiz to test and strengthen your Blue Fish Steward knowledge.

Important:
Blue Fish Canada is a registered Canadian charity and depends on your volunteer support and donations to deliver programs directly on the water and through various electronic media – please donate if you can.

Stay safe, stay well.